Drama After Dark: A Night of the Macabre with Poe and Gorey Actors from the Guild of St. George perform spooky tales in the Huntington’s gardens; for ages 10 and up. The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. Sat., 6:30 p.m. $55, $65. (626) 405-2100.

Josh Fox: The Truth Has Changed The filmmaker and activist examines American politics from Sept. 11 to the present in a film-lived performance of his new theatrical work; presented by CAP UCLA. Freud Playhouse, UCLA, 245 Charles E. Young Drive East, Westwood. Sat., 8 p.m. $29-$59. (310) 825-2101.

The Woman Who Went to Space as a Man Science-fiction writer Alice B. Sheldon, who published under the pen name James Tiptree Jr., is remembered in this new experimental bio-drama with songs. Son of Semele Theater, 3301 Beverly Blvd., L.A. Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 5 p.m.; ends Nov. 18. $20, $25. (818) 841-5422.

Everything That Never Happened Sarah B. Mantell’s ingeniously revisionist take on Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” reconsiders the text from a Jewish perspective, combined with a blistering feminist bent. Given a less authoritative approach, Mantell’s time-bending, character-driven piece could have blurred into a muddle, but veteran director Jessica Kubzansky builds from the play’s initially comedic moments to something very akin to tragedy in a production that is pristine in every particular. Audacious, imaginative and moving, Mantell’s play dramatizes the historical obduracy of anti-Semitism, as well as the frustration of women trapped within patriarchal structures that leave them little freedom of movement or choice. (F.K.F.) Boston Court, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena. Sun., next Sun., 2 p.m.; Thu.-Sat., 8 p.m.; ends Nov. 4. $20-$39. (626) 683-6801.

Gloria It’s a given in a work by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins that something startling will occur that will have you rethinking everything you thought you understood about the play. It would be a disservice to give away what happens in this smart and bitingly funny workplace comedy, set initially in a New York magazine office staffed by wildly ambitious millennial assistants. But the writing and acting in this Echo Theater Company production are so scrupulously observed that the unpredictable turns feel completely and terrifyingly natural. (C.M.) Echo Theater Company, Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., L.A. Sun., next Sun., 4 p.m.; Mon., Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; ends Oct. 28. $34; Mondays, $20 in advance or pay-what-you-will at the door. (310) 307-3753.

Johnny Got His Gun War leaves a 20-year-old soldier horrifically injured, yet as we make a remarkable trip into his mind we find that he dwells not so much on the nightmare of his situation as on the joys stored in his memories and the exhilaration of reconnecting with the everyday world. Life pulses in every moment of Tim Robbins’ staging of an adaptation of Dalton Trumbo’s 1939 novel. Nathan Woodworth, in the central performance, is vigorously alive. (D.H.M.) The Actors’ Gang Theatre, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City. Thu.-Sat., 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Nov. 10. $25-$34.99. (310) 838-4264.

Sell/Buy/Date After a run at the Geffen earlier this year, writer-performer Sarah Jones (best known for her Tony-winning “Bridge and Tunnel”) brings her latest solo show to the Renberg. Even if “Sell/Buy/Date weren’t a compelling piece of theater and a provocative examination of the effects of pornography and prostitution on our society, watching Jones repeatedly disappear into a series of diverse and utterly persuasive characters would be worth the price of a ticket. (M.G.) The Los Angeles LGBT Center, Renberg Theatre, 1125 N. McCadden Pl., Hollywood. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; ends Nov. 3. $20-$75; opening night only, $150. (323) 860-7300.

Showpony Long-time husband and wife producing team Tom Ormeny and Maria Gobetti have a keen intuition when it comes to scouting worthy new plays, and this world premiere by Judith Leora is a real gem, a rollicking entertainment, set in a New York advertising agency, that addresses the current political climate from a fiercely feminist perspective. The play’s valiant women workplace warriors — three African American, two Caucasian — straddle the divide of unconscious racism as they bicker, bond and do battle against a rigged corporate system. In a slam-bang, briskly calibrated staging, Ormeny melds his gifted performers into an impressively organic ensemble that does full credit to Leora’s pithy, timely play. (F.K.F.) The Big Victory Theatre, 3326 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank. Sun., next Sun., 4 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; ends Nov. 18. $22-$34. (818) 841-5421.

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